Goodbye, Gareth Southgate - and thanks!

It was a familiar feeling for England following Sunday’s European Championship final; being so close to glory, but still not close enough, as they lost 2-1 to Spain in Berlin.

After waiting 55 years to reach the final of a major tournament after winning the World Cup in 1966, they have now lost back-to-back finals at the Euros, following their defeat on penalties to Italy at Wembley in 2021. This was also their first major final on foreign soil.

In truth, England were comprehensively outplayed by an impressive Spanish team who deserved their win on the night and were well ahead of England in every metric bar the scoreline. After Nico Williams capped off a superb individual tournament with the opener just after half time, Spain passed up several chances before they were punished by Cole Palmer’s equaliser. However, they regrouped and found the winner after 86 minutes, with Mikel Oyarzabal’s close range finish proving enough to seal victory, ending England’s Euros dream in heartbreaking fashion.

Worthy winners

Spain were worthy winners of Euro 2024. Right from the first game, which saw them comfortably beat Croatia 3-0, they played an exciting brand of attacking football which carried them to wins over Italy, hosts Germany, France and now England. Quite simply, they were a joy to watch.

England’s journey to the final was somewhat of a contrast to that of their opponents. They reached the tournament’s showpiece occasion seemingly by little other than resilience and a steely will-to-win. While enjoying some individual moments of quality, they have rarely shown the level of attacking football which their forward players are capable of delivering, only scoring eight goals in their seven matches.

After winning their group, they needed a miraculous Jude Bellingham overhead kick to rescue them against Slovakia in the round of 16, and a penalty shootout to win from behind against Switzerland.

Southgate’s men showed more quality to beat the Netherlands in the semifinals but having relied heavily on individual moments of brilliance, their luck ran out, and they just did not have enough in the final.

Southgate steps down

We know now that Southgate will not remain as England’s manager. After leading the team for eight years, and managing 102 games, he has restored the team’s credibility and healed its relationship with its supporters.

In a statement on the England football team website, Southgate commented: 'As a proud Englishman, it has been the honour of my life to play for England and to manage England. It has meant everything to me, and I have given it my all. But it's time for change, and for a new chapter.'

Prince William, president of the Football Association, took to social media to thank Gareth for 'showing humility, compassion and true leadership under the most intense pressure and scrutiny.'

England midfielder Declan Rice shared on Instagram, 'Thank you gaffer. It's been a privilege to play for England under your guidance.'

His record of two Euros finals, a World Cup quarterfinal and semifinal from his four major tournaments surely must be considered a successful tenure given the situation he inherited in 2016.

However, it was widely argued that he struggled against world’s top sides, as was once again demonstrated against Spain, following defeats in previous tournaments to France, Italy and Croatia. England have become experts at beating the teams they should beat, but perhaps new ideas are needed to see them take the next step and assert themselves as winners.

Faith and football

The current England team is widely loved across the country because it has many players within it who seem to be down to earth and likeable, and, of particular interest, the team includes several Christians, including Bukayo Saka and Mark Guehi.

Saka is public about his faith and has spoken about how he tries to read his Bible every day. He said in a past interview: ‘For me, it’s really important to have the presence of God in me all the time. It gives me more confidence to know that God’s plan is perfect, so I can go on the pitch and know that God has my back.’

Saka’s teammate, Mark Guehi is also a Christian. The Crystal Palace defender was interviewed in 2021 about his faith: ‘I’ve grown up loving God and when I have had the chance, I still go to church with my family, and my faith is definitely a big part of my life. Faith is everything that I’m involved with, really. Even in football, where I’m trying to be a role model and show God’s graciousness and God’s glory through my life.’

It is perhaps this type of quiet, humble attitude which has seen England fans grow to love this group. Perhaps the example set by the likes of Saka and Guehi is important in fostering a positive grounding and sense of example which should be set to supporters at home.

The question is can whoever replaces Southgate turn this team into winners, while using the attitudes of the likes of Saka and Guehi to keep them grounded? Or will it be more of the same for England? We will find out in two years, at the 2026 World Cup.